Remdesivir is likely to be used to treat the Nipah virus infection in humans.

By: Rashmi S
January 28 2022

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Clinical trials on animals have shown that Remdesivir is effective in treating Nipah virus infection. However, human trials are yet to be conducted.As the World Health Organization (WHO) has stated, the Nipah virus infection in humans causes a variety of clinical symptoms, from asymptomatic disease to acute respiratory infection and fatal encephalitis. The death rate in these situations ranges from 40 percent to 75 percent. This rate may vary depending on local epidemiological surveillance and clinical treatment capabilities. Animals, bats, or pigs can spread the Nipah virus to humans, as can contaminated foods or direct human-to-human transmission. There is no treatment or vaccine available for humans or animals. WHO reported that clinical trials of Remdesirvir on animals were completed and were proven effective. However, trials on humans have yet to be performed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that no licensed treatments are available for Nipah virus (NiV) infection. Furthermore, when given post-exposure prophylaxis, Remdesivir is efficacious in nonhuman primates and may be used with immunotherapeutic treatments. In the original Malaysian NiV outbreak, the medicine ribavirin was used to treat a few patients, although its efficacy in humans is unclear. The animals treated with Remdesivir survived the lethal challenge, suggesting that Remdesivir is a promising antiviral treatment for Nipah virus infection. However, there have yet to be human trials. According to The Hindu, Remdesivir was used to heal four African green monkeys who had been administered a deadly dose of the Nipah virus. Remdesivir is a broad-spectrum antiviral medication being tested in phase 2 clinical trials for Ebola treatment. Eight monkeys were injected with a deadly dosage of the Nipah virus Bangladesh strain, and four of them were given the medication intravenously for 12 days after 24 hours. According to Emmie de Wit, the study's first author, the Indian Nipah strain states, "The Nipah virus that caused the outbreak in India has the same genotype as the Nipah virus we studied from Bangladesh." The two viruses are very similar, despite some minor genetic differences. Although it's always a good idea to double-check, we're confident that the drug will also work against Indian Nipah viruses. The Hindu also quoted Chris Broder and colleagues at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in the U.S. created the first monoclonal antibody. Remdesivir is the second promising therapy. Both treatments are accessible as clinical-grade material and have been successfully tested in humans.